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Why is both parents working always not an option in cases like this? Here he actually touches upon it, but dismisses it saying that it will be more expensive th

Why is both parents working always not an option in cases like this? Here he actually touches upon it, but dismisses it saying that it will be more expensive that way. Are these people wanting a personal nanny for their kid or is it really that expensive with kindergarten?

kybernetikos 9y ago
Kindergarten is expensive, a pretty normal nursery that can cover working hours will soak up pretty much all of the earning potential of the person who is paid the least in the relationship. Nevertheless, it's something you can do with one child, but it won't make the finances much easier. If you have two pre-school children, you're back in the exact situation described. The article is pretty accurate - a single earner providing for a family and renting in London will not find it easy if they're earning less than 90k (much over the average). On the plus side, once the children are school age, costs go down, and it becomes more possible to be a 2 income family again. You can think of it as 3 years of difficulty but then it'll get bearable again.
- maaaats 9y ago
  Maybe because it's subsided by the government, but I just checked and here in Oslo 12 months of kindergarten would be lower than the average monthly salary. So going back to work will make economic sense after the first month. I think it's a loss when women leave the workforce after having a baby. (Or, that they have to)
aidos 9y ago
It's that expensive. If you want to work normal hours you'll need to put your kids in private nursery. In London that's about £75 per child, per day. We were paying £1300 per month to get 2 days per week for our kids at one point. As you can imagine, working just 2 days a week it's hard to make that back. And of course, you're paying out from income you've already been taxed on.
- maaaats 9y ago
  I don't understand the economics of it, though. Are the people working in a daycare making millions a year or what, since each child they care for brings in a full-time salary and they care for multiple children.
  - aidos 9y ago
    The people working in daycare? Definitely not :-) The ratio is pretty high - like 1:3 or something. Then they need to pay for the space. Our kids went to various nurseries over the years - some better than others. The best have kitchens where they cook locally sourced produce. There's a premium for that, but honestly it's not much cheaper for ones where the service / childcare standards aren't as high. Demand is high too. We were in an area with a really high birth rate (and relatively affluent families). It was a bit of a fight to even get spaces.

kybernetikos 9y ago

Kindergarten is expensive, a pretty normal nursery that can cover working hours will soak up pretty much all of the earning potential of the person who is paid the least in the relationship. Nevertheless, it's something you can do with one child, but it won't make the finances much easier. If you have two pre-school children, you're back in the exact situation described. The article is pretty accurate - a single earner providing for a family and renting in London will not find it easy if they're earning less than 90k (much over the average). On the plus side, once the children are school age, costs go down, and it becomes more possible to be a 2 income family again. You can think of it as 3 years of difficulty but then it'll get bearable again.

maaaats 9y ago
Maybe because it's subsided by the government, but I just checked and here in Oslo 12 months of kindergarten would be lower than the average monthly salary. So going back to work will make economic sense after the first month. I think it's a loss when women leave the workforce after having a baby. (Or, that they have to)

aidos 9y ago

It's that expensive. If you want to work normal hours you'll need to put your kids in private nursery. In London that's about £75 per child, per day. We were paying £1300 per month to get 2 days per week for our kids at one point. As you can imagine, working just 2 days a week it's hard to make that back. And of course, you're paying out from income you've already been taxed on.

maaaats 9y ago
I don't understand the economics of it, though. Are the people working in a daycare making millions a year or what, since each child they care for brings in a full-time salary and they care for multiple children.
- aidos 9y ago
  The people working in daycare? Definitely not :-) The ratio is pretty high - like 1:3 or something. Then they need to pay for the space. Our kids went to various nurseries over the years - some better than others. The best have kitchens where they cook locally sourced produce. There's a premium for that, but honestly it's not much cheaper for ones where the service / childcare standards aren't as high. Demand is high too. We were in an area with a really high birth rate (and relatively affluent families). It was a bit of a fight to even get spaces.